1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet printer and particularly to such an ink jet printer in which ink is supplied from an ink storing tank via an ink supply tube to a recording head mounted on a movable head holder.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Recently there has been a demand to decrease a thickness of a carriage for the purpose of decreasing a thickness of an ink jet printer as a whole. That is, there has been a demand to construct an ink jet printer such that no ink storing tanks are mounted on a carriage. To this end, it is needed to provide one or more ink storing tanks on a stationary frame (e.g., a housing) and supply one or more sorts of inks from the ink storing tank or tanks via one or more ink supply tubes to a recording head mounted on the carriage.
For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-121583 discloses a tube-supply-type ink jet printer including a housing; an ink storing tank detachably attached to the housing; a flexible ink supply tube; a movable carriage; and a recording head which is mounted on the carriage and to which ink is supplied from the ink storing tank via the ink supply tube.
However, when the above-indicated ink jet printer is checked for maintenance and, for example, the recording head is replaced with a new one, or when the ink supply tube is temporarily detached from a tube joint on the carriage during an assembling operation in a factory, the ink may leak from the ink supply tube and fall onto the carriage. If the carriage is moved, in a recording operation, with the ink remaining on the carriage, the ink may be moved because of inertia and accordingly the recording head may be wetted by the ink and fail to perform the recording operation. More specifically described, the ink may wet an adhered portion or portions of the recording head and lower the adhering force, or may wet an electronic component or components such as a flexible flat cable and cause an electric short circuit.